HANCOCK COUNTY — An Indianapolis man facing a felony charge of burglary from an incident in April was arrested Tuesday, Aug. 31, and charged with several crimes.
Richard J. Duffy Jr., 35, has been accused of a Level 4 felony count of burglary; a Level 6 felony count of operating a vehicle after being a habitual traffic offender; and two Class A misdemeanor counts of theft and false informing.
Kristen Leigh Hamilton, 30, Indianapolis, has also been charged with a Level 4 felony count of burglary and two Class A misdemeanor charges of theft and false informing. According to court records, she had not yet been arrested as of the Daily Reporter’s deadline on Wednesday, Sept. 1.
The most serious charge carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
According to a probable cause affidavit, deputies in April were called to the 5000 block of West County Road 200N on a report of suspicious activity after someone saw a U-Haul truck pull away from a residence in the area.
A deputy from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department caught up with the truck and watched the driver commit several traffic violations before pulling the truck over in the 2000 block of North County Road 600W, the affidavit said.
The driver, later identified as Duffy, appeared nervous and had what the officer said was a marijuana cigarette in his hand. They also noted a female passenger, later identified as Hamilton, in the truck. Both, however, gave police false names, investigators said in the affidavit.
The two told deputies they were helping move a friend to Indianapolis, but they did not know the friend’s name, the report said. Deputies went back to the home and found the front door wide open, the affidavit said.
Deputies searched the truck and found hand tools; a mounted deer head; a truck tool box containing several air and hand tools; other tools and some marijuana, which police destroyed, the affidavit said.
The two ended up being released with the contents of the truck because deputies were unsure at the time that a crime had been committed, the affidavit said.
Investigators later found the names the two had given deputies did not match photos, according to BMV records.
Deputies learned both had outstanding warrants at the time of the traffic stop, the affidavit said. Investigators were finally able to contact the owner of the home, who told officials about the items taken and noted the back door had been forced open.
The cases have been assigned to Hancock County Circuit Court, which issued warrants in late May. Duffy Jr. is being held in the county jail under a $10,000 cash bond following an initial hearing Tuesday, Aug. 31. He has another appearance in court slated for Nov. 18.
